AUBURN — Morrill “Sonny” R. LaFreniere, 83, a resident of Livermore, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Androscoggin Hospice House surrounded by his loving family. He was born Jan. 30, 1935, in Lowell, Mass., the son of Joseph LaFreniere and Mabel (Safford) LaFreniere.

In 1953, Sonny left Jay High School to join the U.S. Marines (without telling his parents) and served until 1956 when he was honorably discharged. On April 29, 1957, at St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay, he married his wife of 60 years, Alice E. Gosselin. In his younger years he worked at his family’s dairy, Sunny Dairy in Jay, when he returned from the military. Sonny worked hard in the local shoe factories to provide for his large family, retiring from Farmington Shoe.

If you wanted to impress Sonny you had to have a good work ethic. He took great pride in seeing that his seven children all had a great work ethic and were productive citizens. During the early years of his retirement Sonny and Alice were able to enjoy winters in sunny Florida, stopping in New Bern, N.C., to visit their youngest son Leon and his family. Sonny loved socializing with everyone and would strike up a conversation whether he knew you or not. He always enjoyed the local sports games and in 2015, at a surprise ceremony during intermission at a Spruce Mountain basketball game, he was presented with his high school diploma, an honor that he was deeply touched and humbled by.

Sonny also enjoyed keeping his property in tip-top shape. Each year, the Town of Livermore gave him a broom — he was the official street sweeper of Botka Hill.

He is survived by his wife, Alice LaFreniere, of Livermore; his children, Steve LaFreniere and his companion, Joy Oakes, of Brownville, Brenda Merrill and her husband, Charlie, of Livermore, Harvey LaFreniere and his wife, Lisa, of Livermore Falls, Gary LaFreniere and his wife, Jean, of Belgrade, Ross LaFreniere and his wife, Shiloh, of Jay, Lance LaFreniere and his wife, Kristy, of Ormond, Fla., and Leon LaFreniere and his wife, Debbie, of New Bern, N.C.; 21 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sisters, Janet Wright of Wilton and Denise Hunter of Calif.; sisters-in-law, Linda Nagy and her husband, Bob, of N.C., and Noreen Gosselin of Wilton.

He was predeceased by his parents; his brothers, Raymond and Paul LaFreniere; and his sisters, Rita Masso and Becky Evans; and brothers-in-law, Harold Wright, Frank Hunter and Ronald Gosselin.

Messages of condolence may be sent to: www.finleyfuneralhome.com.

Morrill “Sonny” R. LaFreniere

Morrill “Sonny” R. LaFreniere